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Thread: Z3 Hardtop: questions about the benefits

  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by KBH22102 View Post
    Check that your HT has the rubber stoppers. These limit the movement of the softtop that causes most of the squeaking.
    Yeah, it's got em'

    This is what was causing the squeaking


    LtlfMLZ.jpg
    Last edited by Yazure; 05-20-2016 at 06:58 PM.
    Daydreamer.

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim95M3 View Post
    I feel the same. I drive mine with/without the hardtop a lot, and I am certain there is no difference in chassis integrity. No way in hell this thing can stiffen the car.
    Not sure if you have ever tracked your car before, but it's night and day. If you have the hard top off and drive it hard enough to see the mirror wiggle, that's flex. It goes away with the hard top. Skeptical or not, it is what it is.
    2018 X4 M40i

  3. #28
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    My car has the soft top liner and I can still tell a huge difference when the HT is on. The car looks great with the HT and is much quieter with a little more headroom than the ST. It's really like having 2 cars. I love the HT and would probably not still have this car without it.

    As far as improving the chassis flex, I wouldn't think that a fiberglass HT is going to help. The rear attach points pull the HT down against rubber seals on the back of the HT. So, those would compress before the preventing the steel chassis from flexing.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by pine1000 View Post
    The rear attach points pull the HT down against rubber seals on the back of the HT. So, those would compress before the preventing the steel chassis from flexing.
    The rear attach points are attached solidly to the frame behind the seats. The front attach points are on the window frame which is solid roll over protection. The seals on the back of the HR are just to keep weather out and don't provide any support to the top. Because the hardtop connects two points above the doors on each side it provides a considerable amount of additional support vs the soft top.
    2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.

    2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg

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  5. #30
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    Chassis stiffness from hartop: my guess is that both sides are right. It probably makes the car "feel" stiffer, quiets some squeaks, and provides some rigidity under mild conditions, ..... but ..... can't really change the handling of the car at it's limits.

  6. #31
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    I have a '97 2.8, and I am sure that I would enjoy a hardtop. But at the same time I like the "raw" aspect of an un-insulated canvas top, staves visible, and the canvas hot or cold to the touch depending on the ambient air temperature outside. Reminds me of riding in the back of an Army deuce and a half, its diesel turbo charger whistling away. Anyone else old enough to have done that? John
    Last edited by John Adkins; 05-23-2016 at 03:33 PM.

  7. #32
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    I love the "rag" top aspect too...

    theres just something about a z3 with a HT though...... I can't get enough of the look. So much in fact this thread, has made me put it back on! Friday at lunch I went out and threw it on. Maybe I'll pull it back off this weekend
    ​~Mike


  8. #33
    Terry F.'s Avatar
    Terry F. is offline ONLY BMW Content is + Moderator
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    Went on yesterday, for the summer. :-(

    Terry

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  9. #34
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    ^^^pure awesomeness right there!!^^^
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  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luftwaffe1O1 View Post
    Plus the car just looks so good with a HT.
    What he said. Terry F's and Helihover's cars prove it!

    I can't really attest to how much quieter or stiffer the car is with it on vs off, because I've spent almost all of my ownership with it on. I do get some wind whistling, but I think I just need to fine tune the mounting - the passenger side window is too tight against the top, and drivers side is a bit loose. I just haven't gotten around to it because I'm usually more interested in just going driving!


  11. #36
    Terry F.'s Avatar
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    It's quieter, yes. But I have a loud exhaust and I get the 1800-2200rpm drone. Wife doesn't like the drone but I do. Hehe. When it is really quieter is during hard rain. HT helps so much in rain; noise, leaks, defroster (usually).

    But is it as quiet as a coupe with the hardtop on? Probably not if both had stock exhausts.

    I've joked and described it in the past as making my car almost like a real car when I have the hard lid on.

    Sent from my cracked-screen Samsung Galaxy 6 Edge Plus.
    Last edited by Terry F.; 05-24-2016 at 10:23 PM.

    Stuff. I got stuff.

  12. #37
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    Yes, I've ridden in a deuce and a half. But I have to say I've never thought of it nostalgically.

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by pine1000 View Post
    My car has the soft top liner and I can still tell a huge difference when the HT is on. The car looks great with the HT and is much quieter with a little more headroom than the ST. It's really like having 2 cars. I love the HT and would probably not still have this car without it.

    As far as improving the chassis flex, I wouldn't think that a fiberglass HT is going to help. The rear attach points pull the HT down against rubber seals on the back of the HT. So, those would compress before the preventing the steel chassis from flexing.
    One of my wife's early observations shortly after buying our first BMW, the hardtop equipped black car (on 11/11/00, a CPO w/5400 miles) was that "it was like having two cars, for the price of THREE!"



    Back then, before the anticipated announcement that there'd even be a 2001 M Roadster, the S-52s with sub-10,000 miles were still $40,000.00 cars (we were wait-listed at the local BMW dealer in Toledo for the 2001, before buying the '99__intended as an interim substitute until the new car arrived) and the good ones didn't stay in inventory more than a few days.

    The new one was ordered with the hardtop from the factory (one of the very few available options).


  14. #39
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    Welp, looks like my buyer disappeared, putting my Arctic Silver hardtop with mounting brackets and OEM storage bag up for grabs soon in the FS forum

  15. #40
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    Having a hard top gives you options. It's like having 2 cars in one.

  16. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmerBreaker View Post
    I'd install the headliner retrofit to your soft top before spending beaucoup bucks on a hardtop.
    Who sells this? I only see them for cars that already had them but not compatible with early 1999 or older?

  17. #42
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    Being a newbie, I lack most of the posters experience. I’ve only managed to put around 100 miles on the car since delivery due to immediate winter storage. In fact, this is my first ever convertible. However, my wife and I were both commenting on how quiet the ride was with the top up. It’s a 2000 M with headliner. Having only 20,000 miles could also contribute to better fitups all the way around for a better seal. This is reinforced by how hard I have to close the door to overcome the compression of the interior air. One small negative with the 20 year old liner is the backing insulation of the liner is starting to flake off a bit above the windows. It also appears to reduce headroom slightly.

    One added comment on a hardtop. If I ever got one, it would be color matched to the car. I think contrasting gloss black or any other contrasting color always looks like a mismatch with the car. All the matching color hardtops in this thread look fantastic.
    Last edited by Tigershark48; 01-05-2019 at 10:39 AM.

  18. #43
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    I just installed the hardtop. Back in 2016, I made my own soft-top liner and it quieted the car quite a bit. But the hardtop is far far better. Definitely worth it if "quiet" is important to you at all. I should have listened to advice here and bought one years ago. I rationalized it now because the money is better sitting on top of my car than sitting in the bank, and I can always sell it if I need cash. It seems there is also less tire/road noise. I'm wondering if that's because the soft-top is stuffed into that space. I had already insulated that space pretty well, (which did take out some road noise), so I'm not sure. ..... Handling? The car feels different, maybe stiffer. I'm anxious to go through some curves I'm familiar with to see if I can tell a handling difference. My guess is that it will be subtle, if any. ..... Only problem is that it squeaks over bumps. I needed my 220 lb neighbor to push down so I could clamp the top in place, and Mike told me that means it needs some adjustment. But, I can't see that loosening the adjustments would make the top squeak less. Maybe I'll try it. Right now, I'm just enjoying the quiet. Now I don't need to buy that Rolls anymore.

  19. #44
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    A properly fitted hardtop should not squeak. Look on the underside of your top and make sure the rubber bump stops are properly installed. These should press down on your softop mount hooks and eliminate squeaks.

    6682EE3D-ECD5-4067-A6C0-97042D776FAE.jpg
    Kelvin

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by KBH22102 View Post
    A properly fitted hardtop should not squeak. Look on the underside of your top and make sure the rubber bump stops are properly installed. These should press down on your softop mount hooks and eliminate squeaks.



    6682EE3D-ECD5-4067-A6C0-97042D776FAE.jpg
    You made me think of something: Are the soft top hooks supposed to be open or closed. I meant to find out, but forgot. When I put the hardtop on, I closed them. Is that the correct position?

  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by zellamay View Post
    ...When I put the hardtop on, I closed them. Is that the correct position?
    I have always closed mine and I don't have any squeaks.

    There is a procedure for adjusting the hardtop. I can't find it right now. Maybe someone has it bookmarked and can provide a link.

    UPDATE: I found the link ...
    https://zroadster.org/articles/bmw-z...96-to-2002.74/
    Last edited by khammack; 07-15-2020 at 08:51 AM.
    2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels. Looking for a new home.

    2022 Z4 M40i, Misano Blue Metallic, Prem Pkg, Driver Assistance Pkg

    2023 X5 M50, Phytonic Blue, Black Extended Merion Leather, Driving Asst Pro Pkg, Park Asst Pkg, Exec Pkg, Climate Comfort Pkg.

  22. #47
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    I always close the hooks on mine as well.

    My hardtop developed an annoying squeak recently that was very hard to pin down. It turned out to the be the headliner of the hardtop moving around near the passenger window. I put some felt tape in there at it cured the problem.

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